The Department of Natural Resources is giving nearly $2.5 million to boost economic growth in Pacific County. Except, it wasn't the easiest sell initially.
Pacific County is a place where patriotism is still a core value, and so is skepticism of the government.
"What do they do? They raise your taxes and more of your paycheck and more red tape to follow," Dave Walker said while drinking a beer at the popular Pitchwood pub in downtown Raymond.
Walker drives a logging truck. Like many, his job relies on timber. His grandpa started logging in 1934, but a lot's changed since then.
In the early 1990s, the government tightened restrictions to protect the endangered spotted owl.
"That basically put a lot of us out of work," Walker said.
The area is not an easy audience for Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz. She traveled to the area to give a lot of money as a part of the new Rural Communities Partnership Initiative.
"We got over 80 projects in just six months from every corner of the state," Franz said.
One check presented will pay to re-open the old Pacific Hardwoods abandoned lumber mill where 56 people lost their jobs a year ago.
Rob Johnson was the man who had to break the news.
"This lumber is left over from when we shut down. We walked away from the facility. We had no more money to operate," he said. "I'm happy to be able to bring some of those employees back."
But the old Pacific Hardwoods mill is just one project. There's also funding to clean up derelict ships polluting area waters.
"For me this is a great opportunity and great example where a community says, 'How do we take a problem that we have - which is, we are the third highest unemployment in the state of Washington and we have an enormous number of derelict vessels across our coastline - and turn it into an opportunity that we can stimulate jobs and grow this economy?'" Franz said.
Additional money will go to help Willapa Bay oyster grows find a way to deal with burrowing shrimp that turn oyster beds into mud and suffocate the shellfish, along with profits.
"This isn't just about oyster farming in Willapa Bay. This is about the ecology of an estuary that a lot of people work in and around," said Kathleen Moncy of Goose Point Oysters.
The idea for the funding is to protect natural resources while also protecting jobs, and at least some of that government skepticism is starting to fade.
"If they can make it work and stay in business and create jobs, I'm all for it," Walker said. "I'll give it a shot, with great skepticism."
